DALLAS (KRLD) - Paul Kruse, the onetime CEO of Brenham based Blue Bell Creameries is accused in federal court of criminal conspiracy related to the 2015 listeria outbreak that left three people dead. According to federal prosecutors who filed charges in Travis County, Kruse participated in a conspiracy to conceal "potential and/or confirmed listeria contamination in Blue Bell products from certain Blue Bell customers,"He is charged with conspiracy and six counts of wire fraud and attempted wire fraud. The complaint states he had knowledge that some of the product had high levels of coliform bacteria, which would indicate the plants were not sanitary.In 2015, Blue Bell closed, cleaned, and updated all of its manufacturing facilities.Matthew Orwig, former US attorney for the Eastern District of Texas says Kruse's problem was with concealing the facts. "Every company has problems, every company monitors those. This is a situation that, if it had been reported and monitored and transparent then Mr. Kruse would be much better off than he is right now."He says if Kruse is convicted "it's very possible he could be sentenced for a very substantial part of the remainder of his life because there will likely be an enhancement in the sentencing due to the fact that death resulted."Prosecutors say other employees also took part in a conspiracy to keep information about the contamination out of the public.Prosecutors with the US Attorneys office for the Western District of Texas also says that the company itself has agreed to plead guiltyand pay $19.35 million as a result of the contamination.In a plea agreement filed with criminal information in federal court in Austin, Texas, Blue Bell agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of distributing adulterated ice cream products and pay a criminal fine and forfeiture amount totaling $17.25 million. Blue Bell also agreed to pay an additional $2.1 million to resolve civil False Claims Act allegations regarding ice cream products manufactured under unsanitary conditions and sold to federal facilities. The total $19.35 million in fine, forfeiture and civil settlement payments constitutes the second largest-ever amount paid in resolution of a food-safety matter.